Billy Idol

Show Review by Dave Dalka : 08.27.2003

Photos by Lyle A. Waisman

The Rebel has still got it!

The crowd at the August
Billy Idol shows in Chicago was quite into reliving the memories. A
few older couples at the show were there acting like they were teenagers,
almost completely ignoring the show lost in "rediscovery". Some people
might make the mistake of saying this was because the show was not good,
but this started well before the show started, so I spent time considering
the meaning. I concluded that it is likely that some people yearn to
be transported back to a not too distant ago time where music with catchy
lyrics and guitar hooks that stood out was appreciated and warmly received
by radio.

Indeed, Billy Idol, were he to record some of the new and quite interesting songs he showcased with much energy like "Man in a Killbox" or "Stranger in my Skin" that received great fan response at this show would be hard pressed to get radio airplay for them in today's environment. Alternative would likely deem it not "new or hip" and Active Rock would most likely deem it not hard enough. Why the FCC hasn't expanded the number of radio frequencies when over the past decade when cable channels have grown exponentially like rabbits is one of the great tragedies of our day - likely cutting the time allotted such deserving and worthy artists as Billy Idol to a window that is all too short. It doesn't have to be that way.

This lack of radio presence
makes the choice of no opening band all the more surprising, there are
many young and upcoming artists that would give their right arm to play
in front of a Billy Idol audience and they would bring in some fans
there that otherwise would not attend the show. The show opened with
Billy strutting onto the stage for an audience that wasn't really warmed
up and therefore was rather flat while Billy performed his first song.
In the future, I would highly recommend that an opening act be inserted
as the benefits outlined above would be provided.

A person who has never seen Billy Idol live in concert should do so on this tour - not only for the large accumulation of staple songs that were performed well with nice deviations and tempo changes to draw one in with the talented and accomplished band he was touring with - but because you get an appreciation of one of the things that made it all possible - Steve Stevens. Over time, Steve has written some amazing rock-based guitar licks that complement Billy's punkish style. It also makes Billy Idol a unique entity that amazingly has never been ripped off or properly replicated - virtually all of the bands roaming around in the early 21st century that are considered punk would be blown off the stage in a guitar contest with Steve Stevens. The high point of the show for me was when Steve playing an amazingly long, captivating acoustic guitar solo as a great segue into an amazing version of "Don't Need a Gun". One could argue this should have been placed closer to the end of the show, but this is a minor point.

Overall, the 2003 version
of Billy Idol, even without the few tweaks suggested above, is an amazing
and captivating experience that exceeded my expectations for it and
it would likely be enjoyed by both fans and casual observers alike.

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